


Eavesdropping

by JemTheKingOfSass



Category: The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Genre: Found Family, Gen, LanJingyiDay2k18, Light Angst, Post-Canon, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-07 11:01:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16852801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JemTheKingOfSass/pseuds/JemTheKingOfSass
Summary: The low murmur of voices behind a closed door catches Lan Jingyi’s attention as he strides past on his way to Lan Sizhui’s room. He stops when he hears Wei Wuxian’s voice rise above the rest.Eavesdropping is not permitted in the Cloud Recesses.Jingyi shakes off his conscience and presses his ear to the door.





	Eavesdropping

**Author's Note:**

  * For [loverofanimeandmanga](https://archiveofourown.org/users/loverofanimeandmanga/gifts).



> Written for Lan Jingyi Appreciation Day, but also for you since you're the biggest supporter and fan of his I know! I hope you enjoy it, sweets! ٩(♡◡♡ )۶ 
> 
>  

 

 

* * *

 

 

The low murmur of voices behind a closed door catches Lan Jingyi’s attention as he strides past on his way to Lan Sizhui’s room. He stops when he hears Wei Wuxian’s voice rise above the rest. _Eavesdropping is not permitted in the Cloud Recesses._ Jingyi shakes off his conscience and presses his ear to the door.

“...but it should have been...Jingyi doesn’t...he can’t…”

“...”

“...why not Sizhui instead!”

“...”

“...even Jin Ling could...would be better...anything to prevent Lan Jingyi…”

Lan Jingyi flinches away from the door like it had momentarily turned into Zidian itself. _What is Sect Leader Jiang doing here talking about him?_ He is simultaneously honored and distressed that he is the subject of a conversation between Senior Wei and Sect Leader Jiang, and then presumably Hanguang-Jun as well, though he has no hope of ever making out his quiet, controlled words. Despite the brief fluffing of his ego, Jingyi is slammed back to his mediocre reality when he thinks about the words he heard only moments ago. 

There is something the seniors need done, and they are all in agreement that both Sizhui and Jin Ling are better suited. Jingyi hangs his head before leaning back towards the door and morosely listening in again. 

“...”

“Brother, I think you are right. Definitely….not Jingyi for...”

When Lan Xichen’s pleasant but firm voice hits Jingyi’s ears, his cheeks heat with shame and his eyes tighten in an embarrassing and immature way. _Zewu-Jun too._ Cupping trembling hands over his ears, as though that will provide sufficient protection from anymore indicting words entering his psyche, Jingyi stumbles away from the closed room on feet that he can’t quite feel. 

Jingyi bursts into Sizhui’s room with no preamble or patience, dismayed when he finds it empty. He shamelessly collapses on the bed, waiting for his clan brother to return to his quarters. He doesn’t know how much time passes as he stews in his own disorganized and inadequate thoughts, but lifts his head at loud footsteps approaching Sizhui’s room. He steadies his composure to the best of his ability, much easier now that he feels partially dead inside instead of simply mortified at the perception of his talent. He lurches off the bed in a bid to appear less pathetic, hovering uncomfortably as he waits. 

Wei Wuxian pokes his head into Sizhui’s room, carrying a bundle of items that he frantically attempts to hide behind his back when he notices the room is occupied. A radiant smile graces his face, as though he’s actually pleased to see this junior disciple when clearly he had been hoping to find the actual resident of the room. “Jingyi!” 

Jingyi plasters a smile on his own face, though it slips when he realizes they are both standing there grinning awkwardly at each other. He bows, though what he craves is a comforting hug from Sizhui’s father. “Senior Wei, I’m waiting for Sizhui but I’m just leaving now. I’ll get out of your way.”

“You’re not in the way! Although I’m afraid Sizhui isn’t coming back for awhile. He’s still with Jin Ling preparing the…” Wei Wuxian trails off with a nervous laugh, haphazardly dumping his armful in Sizhui's closet, before piercing Jingyi with a stare, one that might unsettle the teen if he didn’t know Wei Wuxian so well. “What are you doing right now?”

Jingyi shrugs before remembering that it’s likely considered disrespectful to do so. _Shrugging is prohibited in the Cloud Recesses_ , probably. He bows again, flustered, as he stares at the floor. Fingers gently tip up his chin, and a face that he could never possibly fear looms directly in front of him, expression soft and eyes filled with something that Jingyi has only ever seen directed at Sizhui. 

“Jingyi, what’s the matter? Get up. Why do you keep bowing, and to me of all people? Talk to me. Why are you hiding out all alone in here?” Wei Wuxian sounds concerned, and Jingyi knows enough to understand that he definitely _is_ , except this is too personal, too much, too close. He’s not Sizhui, his beloved son and living connection with Lan Wangji, to whom no one could ever hope to compare. He’s not even Jin Ling, adored nephew and breathing memory of his sister and happier times. Jingyi respects both his peers, and does not begrudge either one their hard-earned esteem in the eyes of his most revered seniors. Yet, when he examines himself, he is well aware that he continuously falls short of expectations, at least in his own mind. 

“I don’t know, Senior Wei. I’m-” Jingyi stops short, widening his eyes in an effort to stave off imminent tears that have been lurking beneath the surface since he skulked away from that cursed, closed door. 

Wei Wuxian, the emotional assassin, pounces on his vulnerability. “You’re not doing anything useful hiding away all by yourself. Here, come with me someplace. I need to get out of the Cloud Recesses for a bit and I want you to join me. Will you accompany me, Jingyi?”

Jingyi clears the thickness in his throat and swallows heavily, though his heart twinges in his chest, feeling the slightest bit lighter at being singled out by one of his favorite people. Even if it’s a pity invitation, he will not squander a one-on-one opportunity with Wei Wuxian. “Of course, Senior Wei. I’d love to go with you, I’ll go anywhere.”

Wei Wuxian barks out a laugh, throwing his head back with abandon, as though Jingyi just told the most hilarious joke. He claps his hands together in delight. “Oh Jingyi, Jingyi. Anywhere? You trust your Senior Wei to take you anywhere? I am flattered and humbled by your honesty, though I fear your eager attitude. I shouldn’t have expected any less from you, after all, you are unlike all other Lans. Alright Jingyi, come, come. Let’s go while the sun is still high in the sky.”

Jingyi expects to feel a blow from Wei Wuxian’s comment regarding his stunning lack of Lan, and yet he finds himself preening at the remark as though it’s the highest of compliments. After all, if anyone understands unabashedly blazing their own trail along the outskirts of this sect, it is Wei Wuxian. Jingyi finds himself wondering just how much his beloved teacher restrains himself in deference to Lan Wangji’s position within the clan. Perhaps Lan Jingyi is not the only one who struggles to conform within the ethereal yet constrictive boundaries of the Cloud Recesses.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Lan Jingyi gazes in awe at all the food vendors and merchandise stalls as he and Wei Wuxian stroll around Caiyi Town. It all sparkles with an attractive luster in the daylight, tempting him to open his coin purse and spend frivolously, filling the emptiness in his heart and his stomach with fleeting satisfaction. He hasn’t spent anywhere near enough time wandering the streets and perusing the wares offered here. Sometimes he drags Sizhui out of the Cloud Recesses and down to reality, especially when adrenaline pumps through his veins long after an invigorating night hunt concludes, but his companion is often so tired that they barely arrive before turning to head back. 

As they amble, Wei Wuxian points out all the food items he enjoys the most, stopping to purchase two of everything and insisting Jingyi sample them all. “It’s not so spicy you won’t enjoy it. I’m ordering you things with less heat. Eat, eat, you’ll like them!” Wei Wuxian even stops and finds chicken wings, secretively buying and then presenting them with excessive flair and a hearty guffaw. 

“Senior Wei,” begins Jingyi, confusion clouding his manners at being fed so thoroughly and generously by his senior. He takes the chicken wings and blinks down at them. “Aren’t you having any of these?”

Having handed off the food, Wei Wuxian clutches his sides as he bends over from laughing so hard. He wheezes as he glances up at Jingyi. “Oh don’t you remember that I owe you chicken wings, Jingyi? I couldn’t make it up to you when my hands were bound by Hanguang-Jun, but I saw you lose that chicken wing and swore to myself I would replace it someday. Eat, Jingyi, there’s nothing to disrupt your delicate sensibilities here today.”

Jingyi flushes with the memory of Yi City and Lan Wangji’s liberal use of his forehead ribbon. Given how frequently he stumbles upon the two excessive cultivation partners performing actions that are supposedly shoring up Wei Wuxian’s spiritual energy, he assumes he should be able to stop blushing so easily when recalling what he’s seen with his formerly innocent eyes. At times, he thinks he’d rather lose himself in a hazy mob of ghosts than be around his two overly affectionate mentors, although as he watches the overjoyed expression on Wei Wuxian's face while a sturdy arm gets casually thrown over his own shoulder, he shakes that impertinent thought off. He nestles into the arm slightly, making sure to not do anything mortifying while still fulfilling his desperate yearning for physical comfort. 

As if he’s perusing Jingyi’s mind as easily as flipping through the flimsy pages of an elicit book, Wei Wuxian spins Jingyi so they are facing each other, hands securely gripping his shoulders. With his head cocked to the side, the determined eyes of Wei Wuxian examine him carefully, running over his face, hands tightening where they hold him - Jingyi feels exposed. He longs for the amused countenance to return, wants to slap it back on Wei Wuxian’s face, anything to stop this scrutiny. Jingyi averts his gaze and stares at the inky hair spilling loose over his teacher’s arm, carefree and unbound.

“Jingyi, let’s go over to the lake, a secluded spot. Would you like that? I want to dangle my feet in the water and I’d rather do it somewhere word won’t get back to Lan Zhan. If he knew he was missing out on water time, he’d be jealous, and since surely envy is prohibited in the Cloud Recesses, that’s simply no good. So will you come put your feet in the water with me and keep this secret between ourselves?” Wei Wuxian squeezes Jingyi’s upper arms as he rambles, urging him to agree, doubtless so he stops wallowing and starts acting normally again. 

Jingyi stifles his sigh and forces his mouth into a smile. Spending more personal time with Wei Wuxian _does_ sound appealing, and he heartily enjoys water that isn’t frigid and utilized solely for spiritual healing. “Okay, Senior Wei. Do you know a good place?” 

In response, Wei Wuxian turns him back around, again slinging his arm over Jingyi’s shoulder, and leads them off the main streets and down to the water. They walk past the piers and along the shore until eventually they are in a damp grassy area wedged between the expanse of trees. Wei Wuxian finally removes his arm, and Jingyi misses the support immediately, although his shoulders feel less burdened than they have in awhile. 

Beaming, Wei Wuxian tugs off his boots and rolls up his pants, swinging his robes out from underneath him as he sits down with a flourish and a splash, his feet carelessly breaching the surface of the lake. He leans back, arms behind him and face tipped up at the canopy of leaves, dappled sunlight filtering through the verdant display. “Ahh, get in here, Jingyi! The water is absolutely perfect, especially after walking around all afternoon. Our legs need this.”

Jingyi mimics his elder’s actions before plopping himself down to the ground. He throws his feet into the water, feeling free and comfortable with the company he’s in. “This is nice, Senior Wei.”

“It’ll be nicer once you start talking to me about what got you bothered earlier. I’m always here to listen to you, Jingyi. I might seem busy, but I swear I’m usually not, certainly not compared to Hanguang-Jun and Zewu-Jun, and even when I am, I’m always here for you and Sizhui.”

“Ah, I know you’re around to help Sizhui.” Jingyi snaps his mouth shut with a gasp when he registers what has reflexively spewed out of his mouth. “I mean, me _and_ Sizhui of course, haha, I know you’re around. And for Jin Ling, too, which is pretty great since I know he likes you despite the way he acts towards you sometimes, he kind of acts like that towards everyone though, it’s not just you.” Face on fire, Jingyi finally manages to stop babbling, glaring down at the water, wondering if he can make it churn and boil with the force of his idiocy.

He senses Wei Wuxian shift closer to him, scooting along the grass until their shoulders nudge against each other. In a burst of insanity, he tilts his head down to rest on Wei Wuxian’s shoulder, and that warm comforting arm returns to its position along his back, giving him a side hug which could feel discomforting, but in reality it is everything Jingyi needs right now from a parental figure, particularly one who happens to be someone he wholeheartedly admires.

It is easy to crack himself open and discuss his feelings when he’s embraced like this, a foolish chick held securely under a mother’s wing. 

Jingyi explains how inadequate he feels when he compares himself to Sizhui, Jin Ling, and even other young cultivators such as Ouyang Zizhen that have received personal praise from his adored seniors. His words begin carefully and guarded, except the longer he talks, the more uninhibited he becomes, complaining and whining until he has no thoughts left within him to share, ending with the overheard conversation from this morning, which had lit the fuse on the tinderbox within his chest. All the buried worries that have been burning holes into his spirit and weighing his heart down like stone are released, expressed recklessly to Wei Wuxian as he gets drunk on the freedom of speech. Jingyi sags against the older man beside him, exhausted after his emotional outpouring, awaiting the chiding that is sure to come. 

It’s as if Jingyi forgets that it is Wei Wuxian that sits beside him. “Jingyi, what do you think we were talking about this morning?” 

“I don’t know.” Jingyi responds honestly, able to ponder it now without stewing over hidden implications. “Some problem that needs to be solved, one that requires special care or diligence, I guess?” 

Wei Wuxian huffs out a small sigh. “You know, I grew up thinking being loved and appreciated was something worthy of a scolding, something that made me despicable. It has taken Lan Zhan a long time, really far too many hours spent on me, to get me to view myself as someone worthy of being loved and appreciated. It wasn’t all that hard being loathed and feared when I already felt that way about myself. It’s much harder _now_ , since Hanguang-Jun has cleansed me, when people still think of me that way. I act like I don’t care because if I spent too much time dwelling, it would be hard to get out of bed in the morning.”

Wei Wuxian pauses, and Jingyi frowns when he recalls how many snide and anxious comments he’s heard from villagers after Wei Wuxian, _the terrifying Yiling Patriarch_ , escorts them on night hunts. The junior disciples always defend him, but Jingyi promises himself he will put forth a more resounding proactive effort to sing the praises of Wei Wuxian to anyone who will listen. “I know what it’s like to feel inadequate, Jingyi. And please, listen when I tell you that you are far from inadequate. Not only are you a capable cultivator at a far younger age than most, but you are kind and generous and logical. These are not empty, idle words either, I don’t praise people if I don’t see things worthy of adulation. You are remarkable and I’m honored that you look up to _me_.”

As Jingyi considers that he might pass out from the effusive admiration, Wei Wuxian mercifully stops to snicker. “I’ll rise with Lan Zhan, and head straight to your quarters every day. I’ll shake you awake and remind you how much I enjoy your company. Together we’ll march through the Cloud Recesses, and I’ll announce to everyone with ears of how talented and capable you are, what a worthy and strong disciple of GusuLan, one to be honored and cherished.”

Jingyi buries his face deeper into Wei Wuxian’s shoulder, yet can’t help the laugh that escapes him, forced out of him by the proud swelling within his chest. “Please don’t do that, Senior Wei. It’s unnecessary.”

“Oh?” Jingyi’s face is lifted by insistent fingers, so he is staring directly into Wei Wuxian’s face. “Then I need to know you believe how valued you are. Maybe I should force you to tell me how outstanding you think you are every day instead, hmm? Or you can tell Lan Zhan or Lan Xichen instead! At the start of every breakfast, you can declare your worthiness of being a Lan disciple to your sect leader and his esteemed brother.”

Jingyi is fairly certain that Wei Wuxian would somehow make this a new facet of his morning routine if he doesn’t comply now. “I am a worthy Lan disciple.”

Wei Wuxian hums and nods, pleased. “Now again. But this time, believe it, Jingyi.”

“Tch,” scoffs Jingyi, glaring down at his fists, entirely unsure when he clenched them in the first place. He relaxes his hands and smooths his brow, tugging on his forelock in annoyance. 

“Every morning,” sing-songs Wei Wuxian, rubbing his hands together with glee. “I won’t be the audience for your speeches, but I look forward to them all the same.”

“What do you mean you aren’t the audience? I want you to think highly of me, more than anybody else except maybe Hanguang-Jun! Sizhui wants Zewu-Jun to notice him most because he knows his parents have to love and worship him no matter what, Jin Ling wants Sandu Shengshou to notice and respect him, but I just want the two of you.” Again too late, Jingyi stops his mouth after he’s let it run away with itself. 

Wei Wuxian smirks at the reveal of secrets that Jingyi had sworn on his life that he would take to the grave, before the earnest shine returns to his eyes. “I do notice and respect you, Jingyi. And I know Lan Zhan holds you in high regard as well. We shall tell you more often how proud we are of you, and we won’t have to stretch the truth at all. How we view Sizhui has no bearing on how we view you. You are your own person, and that alone is worthwhile and appreciated. You're loved as you are, Jingyi.”

“I am competent and a valuable disciple of the Lan clan.” Jingyi parrots his teacher’s terms, yet finds himself grabbing onto the words, holding them tightly in his grasp. He doesn’t want them to fly away, like they are mere figments of an overactive imagination, instead he wants to etch them onto his heart so they flow through him with every pulse of his blood. He can’t forget how special he is, Wei Wuxian will not allow it. _No,_ he thinks. _I won’t allow it._

Wei Wuxian pats Jingyi on the head. “There, good. I believed it that time, you made me feel it. Good Jingyi, good. Now own it.”

Jingyi smiles and throws his arms around Wei Wuxian, embracing him in the tightest hug he can manage, pulling away when a thought slams into his mind, almost forgotten in all of Wei Wuxian’s enthusiastic guidance. He is warmed by a twinkle inside him, a spark of mischief he hasn’t felt in far too long. “Wait a minute, Senior Wei.”

“Hmm? I don’t like that face you’ve got right now, Jingyi. Here, go back to crying and moody, lie back down on my shoulder so I don’t have to see you.” Wei Wuxian crosses his arms with a sniff and turns to face the other direction. 

Jingyi laughs and it feels like the clouds dispel further. “Oh Senior Wei.” He tugs on his elder’s sleeve insistently and laughs harder as Wei Wuxian cranes his neck as far as he can away from his student. “What was that meeting about this morning? Zewu-Jun and Sect Leader Jiang, not to mention Hanguang-Jun and the illustrious Wei Wuxian. You are up to something, Senior Wei.”

Wei Wuxian snorts before replying. “You’re forgetting Sizhui and Jin Ling, they’re in on it too.” He presses his lips together, clearly withholding critical information.

Jingyi must know. This is his new priority, previous slow-burning distress all but forgotten, and returning to the Cloud Recesses can wait until after he has wheedled the meeting’s subject matter out of Wei Wuxian. “In on what, Senior Wei?” 

Said man yanks his feet out of the water and rises from his comfortable spot in the grass. Brushing off the seat of his pants, he glances around for his boots. He nervously cackles as he squints at the sun’s location in the sky. “Well, time to head back, eh Jingyi? It’s getting late. We wouldn’t want to miss anything that’s happening back at home.”

Jingyi’s heart warms when he hears Wei Wuxian refer to the Cloud Recesses as his home, a place he belongs even beyond Lan Wangji. Given every painful detail his teacher had shared with him earlier, he is glad that Wei Wuxian feels like he has someplace new to plant roots, where he is welcome and accepted. Jingyi understands - he cannot think of anyone he would rather feel a kinship with than this beloved senior, neither very convincing Lans, but both cherished within the clan. 

“What could we possibly miss, Senior Wei?” Jingyi chirps with false innocence, just about giving up on getting anything useful out of Wei Wuxian. He’ll just have to wait until he is made privy to the meeting’s contents, his teacher implying he will be soon enough.

“Don’t be silly, your birthday celebration of course!” Wei Wuxian’s eyes widen comically and his jaw drops, as he steps back, shaking his head in disbelief of his own verbal misstep. 

“Don’t worry, Senior Wei. I’ll act surprised.” Soul nourished and spirit energized, Jingyi finishes sliding his feet into his own boots, and clasps Wei Wuxian's hand. "Let's go home."

 

 

* * *

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> (ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧.。*:･♡ LJY deserves to be showered with love every day! The most unLan Lan to have ever Lan'd. Bless him.


End file.
